The Bet
by litbuff
Summary: GSR. Pre canon, pre Vegas, pre everything. Can a mere bet prevent two people from falling for each other?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **These CSI characters do not belong to me. 'nough said!

**Pairing: **Grissom/Sara.

**Rating: T.**

**Spoilers:** If it's on TV, it's game

**Summary: **GSR. Pre-canon, pre-Vegas, pre-everything. Can a mere bet prevent two people from falling for each other?

**A/N:** Enjoy and comments are always welcome! Thanks for reading! Peace…

* * *

**The Bet **

**Author: litbuff **

**Chapter 01**

"You have gotten to go to this lecture!" Sara's partner, Josie Mendez, tossed the brochure across the table at her. "The guy's pretty dull but he got the best looking ass money can buy!"

Sara picked up the pamphlet and rolled her eyes at Josie. "Why would I want to waste my time at a seminar about a bunch of dead bugs and a dull lecturer with a good looking ass?"

"Because he's safe." Josie mused at her friend. "Word on the street is he's a player. He flirts, he bats his pretty blues at you, he's not interested in commitments, and he leaves town when the lecture is over."

"Safe?"

"Hey, you're the one who doesn't care for long-term commitment remember?"

Yeah, she remembered. Sara remembered every long-term commitment that ended with the boyfriend either cheated on her or told her that they needed "time-out" from each other. To this day, Sara still had no clue what the hell "time-out" meant in a relationship. In the end, she had concluded that she was not cut out for long-term commitment and just settled for a night of good companionship and left it at that. At least her heart would stay intact and everyone would be happy.

"How do you know so much about this guy?" Sara was piqued by Josie's description of the mysterious entomologist.

"Let's just say that there's an underground bet going on among some of the female attendees of his lectures to see who can score and snag him off the market." Josie winked knowingly at Sara.

"That's just sad!" Sara gave her a horrified expression. "Sorry but no guy is worth that kind of attention, nice ass or not."

Josie laughed out loud at Sara. "Trust me, you haven't seen this one. He's worth it!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the voice of their supervisor, Joe Maddox, who poked his head into their shared office at the San Francisco Crime Lab, "Ladies, time to roll!"

"Yeah, yeah." Josie got up and turned to face Sara, "You're coming or not?"

* * *

Gil Grissom didn't know why he kept on giving these lectures when he knew damn well that only half of the attendees were actually interested in the material. The rest were either trying to meet some graduating prerequisites or… here because of The Bet. 

Yeah, he knew about that underground bet. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or offended. He did find out about it by pure accident though. Two years ago, one of his female students became quite overzealous with his class and practically stalked him while he was here at Berkeley. To pacify her, he had accepted her invitation to lunch. To his surprise, she had asked him to come home with her and he had gently refused. That was when the tears came and the truth confessed. It was Greek pledge week and some genius had came up with the idea of "Take home a visiting Professor" as a recruiting requirement for new members. And he happened to be that "visiting Professor".

When he returned several months later for another lecture, team Greek had turned into team Greek versus team Grads. Somehow during his period of absence, the "Take home a visiting Professor" had morphed into "Take home Professor Grissom". The graduate TAs were a lot more sophisticated than their Greek counterparts in trying to get to him. They seduced him with their intelligence and he was astounded by their enthusiasm. He found himself quite captivated with their games and silently played along, though he stopped short of the "Take home" part. Inwardly, he had hoped that all of these flirtations could somehow endear them into learning more about his beloved bugs.

As time went by, his lecture series had become pretty popular and his buddy over at the San Francisco Crime Lab had recommended the classes for the CSIs and members of SFPD. Enter team SFPD, a group of dedicated professional women who would not take "no" for an answer. They approached his classes, and him, like they would their jobs, very seriously. Being an occasional consultant for the San Francisco Crime Lab, he had worked along side with some of these women and had diplomatically gone out with some of them after hour, but always in a group. He wasn't afraid of losing his self-control; it was them that he was afraid of.

As he prepared for today's lecture, he scanned the class roster and groaned inwardly at some of the names he recognized. He quickly shoved the roster to the side and took out his notes as students began entering the lecture hall.

"Hello Dr. Grissom!" One female attendee greeted him as she filed passed him.

"Hello Amie." Grissom nodded in reply to her greeting, remembering her from team SFPD. He then smiled at each one of Amie's law enforcement colleagues as they flirted their way across his podium and sashayed to their seats. Ahh… the gang over at SFPD had recruited a new member for his lecture. This new girl though seemed different from the others. As she followed her companions parading in front of him, she gave him a knowing grin that somehow grabbed at his curiosity.

She was taller than her buddies, brunette with sparkling brown eyes and lips that demanded attention. What the hell he was thinking? He turned away quickly. This girl was dangerous. She looked so young yet with hints of maturity beyond her years etched indiscernibly across her face. He followed her movements out of the corner of his eye as she took a seat in the front row with her PD friends.

So, they had upped the ante with this new girl. He hadn't had a problem with this bet before and he wasn't planning on having any now. He shook his head at the absurdity of it all and turned to face his audience. And tried very hard all through his lecture not to think about that young brunette sitting quietly drinking in his every word.

* * *

_**TBC **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **These CSI characters do not belong to me. 'nough said!

**Rating: T **for now

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Your comments meant a lot to me! If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also! Glad you all are enjoying this story so far! Enjoy and comments are always welcome! Thanks again for reading! Peace…

* * *

**Chapter 02**

Sara sat stoically in the front row listening to the "Bug Doctor" as Josie and her friends referred to him. He seemed pleasant with a very disarming smile and yes… clearly with a very nice bottom. She caught him glancing at her several times throughout the lecture as if trying to discern whether she was paying attention or not. Before she could acknowledge the unspoken query, he had quickly looked away to the other students in the class.

Josie had warned her that Professor Gil Grissom was boring but Sara actually found him to be really entertaining and very knowledgeable in his field of study. His introduction to Forensic Entomology was quite fascinating and at the same time, beneficial to her line of work. Since she became a CSI, she had been exposed to several DB cases where the victims were covered with insects and she had absolutely no clue as to what purpose those bugs actually served. Armed with her new knowledge, the next time a decomposing corpse showed up saturated with bugs, she wouldn't have a problem estimating time of death by differentiating between the developmental stages of, for example, a _Chrysomya rufifacies_, a common blowfly species. As she sat listening and gazing at the animated figure behind the podium, she was glad that Josie had convinced her to come to this lecture today.

When the class ended, Sara watched in fascination as the flock of women buzzed around him like a bunch of _Cochliomyia macellaria_ around a fresh carcass.

"C'mon Sara," Josie's voice interrupted her quiet observation, "Let's go meet Professor Grissom."

"Uh…maybe not…" Sara looked at Josie, then at the crowd in front of her, "Looks like he may be busy for awhile…"

Josie laughed suddenly, "Don't worry. Leave it to Amie. She'll have the others scattered before you know it."

Sara smiled at the thought as she eyed the petite blonde from PD, who was currently making her way to the center of the group of gawking female attendees. Sara turned to Josie and said, "I think I need to get back to the lab. I have evidences from that stabbing case that need to be logged."

"You sure?" Josie asked in surprise. "We're technically working while we're here… You know… continuing education and such."

"I know." Sara stared at the people in front of her. Despite her best efforts, Amie from PD did not seem to disperse the crowd like Josie had advertised. Sara chuckled to herself at the scene before her.

"What's so funny?" Josie inquired at Sara's facial expression.

"I think I had better get out of here before this turns into a crime scene and I have to process it!" Sara had to laugh at the thought. "I'll see later."

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Josie was making a last ditch effort to convince Sara to stick around for the fun. "We're planning on asking _him_ to happy hour with us."

"You weren't kidding when you said he's a player." Sara looked incredulously at Josie, then at Dr.Grissom.

"Nope." Josie gave her a know-it-all wink and in a low voice, added, "He's been known to go out for drinks with students afterward. What happens after the drinks, I'll leave it up to your imagination."

"Hmm… if that's the case, have fun." Sara gave Josie a lopsided grin and picked up her bag, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

* * *

Grissom watched her figure disappeared out the door of the auditorium with a sudden pang of sadness. He had hoped that she would stay behind to introduce herself. In his preoccupied state of mind, he had forgotten to do roll call. He could always ask one of her PD buddies for her identity but he did not want to be too obvious. Of course, he still had another chance to talk to her. This introductory class was a two-day course. He made a mental note to remember to do roll call tomorrow. 

Now he concentrated on his current pressing need to get rid of all these wonderful _Cynomya mortuorum_ that was whirring around him. He smiled politely at each student and answered each question pertaining to the course to the best of his knowledge. At the same time, he courteously dodged anything that he deemed suggestive in anyway.

Then Amie Harris from PD made a beeline toward him. He had to smile at her aggresiveness. At five foot five, the petite strawberry blonde was a natural born cop. She also reminded him of his colleague back home, Catherine Willows. He wondered what Catherine would say about Amie. They probably wouldn't like each other since they were so alike. He had to laugh at that mental image.

The last time he was in town, he went out with Amie and her colleagues and found out just how wild these women really were. They were fun but definitely wild. As Amie came to a stop in front of him, he was thinking hard to come up with an excuse not to go out with her and company tonight.

"Dr. Grissom?" A soft voice called him out of his reverie.

He turned to find his TA looking at him expectantly. "Uh… you go ahead, I can finish up here by myself. Thanks Susan."

She gave him a disappointed look before asking again, "You sure? I can help you pack up your props..."

"Don't worry about it Susan," Amie's patronizing tone interrupted the TA, "We'll help him with his stuff. You may go on home, hun."

* * *

Sara entered the locker room to find Josie was about to leave. 

Josie glanced at Sara's teal business suit and asked, "Court date?"

"Yeah. Found out yesterday that the Taylor's stabbing case was moved up." Sara suddenly remembered and looked at Josie, "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Ended an hour ago. You missed an interesting anecdote today."

"Really?" Sara's right eyebrow raised in question.

"Really. Something about a double murder in a garage." Josie gave her a crooked grin before continuing. "It was about a jealous husband or was it a boyfriend…" Josie mused a bit then shrugged, "Doesn't matter, one of the intimate partners of the dead woman did it. Messy scene, still unsolved since the evidence pointing to the killer kept changing."

"Wow, that interesting huh?"

"Ok, I was a little distracted." Josie's eyes twinkled like a cat that just ate the canary. "You should have stayed and gone out with us last night."

Somehow Sara was not at all interested in hearing about Dr. Grissom's escapades with the female students in his class but at the same time, she could not help but being intrigued by them. "Some of us have to work around here, what with all the female law enforcement officers tailgating Dr. Gil Grissom."

"Hah! Very funny! But you do have to admit he's quite charming." Josie laughed a bit while recounting what had transpired after Sara left yesterday. "Leave it up to Amie Harris to clear the scene. She managed to snatch him up for a drink with us before that grad TA got a hold of him."

"TA?"

"Yeah, that tall what's her name…Anyway, she looked pissed that he left with us instead of her. Amie practically shooed her away. Bless that girl Amie. Worst comes to worst, I hope Amie gets her man. She deserves it after all her troubles."

Sara remained silent while her stomach turned queasy at the new piece of information.

"Anyway, we had fun and afterward, Dr. Grissom had to give Amie a ride home since none of us would." Josie winked conspiratorially at her.

At that point, Sara didn't know why but she didn't want to hear anymore about the visiting professor and Detective Harris from PD. She glanced quickly at her watch and said to Josie, "Hey, I have to go pick up results from trace before that new lab tech leaves for the day. Catch you later?"

"Yeah, sure."

Sara made a quick exit and hoped that Josie didn't see the uncomfortable feeling that was clearly etched on her face.

* * *

"I would like to think that you had dressed up just to impress me." 

The young brunette was making her way down the hallway of the San Francisco Crime Lab before turning around in surprise toward the direction of Grissom's voice. She looked confused at first then recovered quickly. "You really do live up to your reputation Dr. Grissom."

"Oh?" Grissom cocked his head as he smirked at her. "And may I ask what you have heard about me?"

"You really are a flirt, an arrogant flirt."

Grissom found blood flushing his cheeks with warmth at her words.

"Why, are you actually blushing Dr. Grissom?" Her lower lip pursed into a mocked grin.

Grissom raised an eyebrow then slowly the corners of his mouth curved up to form a wide grin. "Point taken." He eyed her lovely face with a hint of mischief before catching her off guard with his next question, "Is that _your_ opinion of me?"

"I am just forming my opinion based on perceived evidence." She replied without missing a beat.

"Ah…" Grissom nodded his head while noting for the first time the small adorable gap between her two front teeth. "I do agree that first opinions are crucial, but if the evidence changes, so must the theory."

"Regrettably, the evidence just now reinforced the standing theory."

Grissom found himself mesmerized as he talked more with this girl. Very witty and so pretty… and apparently, she knew about the damn bet. He was wondering what else had she heard about him before he blurted out the next unexpected words, "You missed the second half of my lecture today."

She suddenly turned shy as she briefly looked down at her feet before lifting her face to him, "My court date moved up at the last minute."

"Of course, perks for working this job." He said, fully understood her situation.

"By the way, I just want to say that I really enjoyed your lecture yesterday." She was barely looking at him now, distinctively uncomfortable.

"Thank you." Grissom's voice lowered in pitch, making it huskier than he'd anticipated. "I am so glad to be able to spread the knowledge that insects are wonderful creatures and are beneficial to human beings also."

As if finally worked up the courage, she allowed her dark brown eyes to gaze deeply into his ocean blues, holding his captive. "Do you study them because of their usefulness or because of their beauty?"

"Beauty?" Grissom gave her a perplexed look.

"Yeah, beauty." Her eyes still stared intently into his. What she said next made his heart skipped a few beats. "For example butterflies, nature's artistic masterpiece… colorful, graceful and symmetrically beautiful."

"You like butterflies?"

"Don't you?"

"I do now…" Those words slipped out of his mouth before he was able to catch them. He cursed inwardly for acting like a teenage boy around this girl. She was starting to scare him, affectively making him opted for damage control. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're a closeted entomologist."

She gave a low chuckle as she shook her head, making her brown curls fall softly down her cheeks. "No, not me. I don't like creepy crawly creatures, just only appreciating the beautiful things nature has to offer."

Grissom was about to say more when suddenly her beeper came to life. She looked down at it then face him again, "Sorry, gotta run. Criminals don't seem to take vacations around this town."

Grissom wanted to say something to her before she would disappear completely out of his life but his mind came up empty.

As she was about to turn around and leave, she inquired suddenly, "Just curious, why are you here today?"

"I work as a consultant for the San Francisco Crime Lab from time to time. Though I am here today only to see my college buddy, Frank Schmidt."

"Oh, you know the lab director?" She sounded surprised then caught herself. She smiled at him again as she spun on her heels and waved to him. "It's been nice meeting you Dr. Grissom. Have a safe trip home."

As she slipped away down the corridor and turned into one of the conference rooms, Grissom suddenly remembered that he hadn't even asked for her name like he intended to.

* * *

_**TBC **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **These CSI characters do not belong to me. 'nough said!

**Rating: T.**

**A/N:** First off, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed! Your comments meant a lot to me! If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also! Secondly, I just found out last week that someone nominated this story for the Pre-Vegas Poll and I was absolutely speechless! I would like to thank that anonymous person and also those who voted for this story! I feel so honored at the compliment! Me love you much!! Thirdly, just a little shout-out to my buddy _amisha.pineapple_ for her moral support! It's always fun to have someone to discuss the hotness of Gil Grissom with! Here is the latest chapter and you didn't even have to crack your whip!! ;) And last but not least, enjoy and comments are always welcome! Thanks again for reading! Peace…

* * *

**Chapter 03**

"Sara, you have a minute?" Joe Maddox called out to her as she was about to leave for the day.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Come into my office and we'll talk."

They both entered the day-shift supervisor's office and he gestured for Sara to sit down across from his desk. Once settled, Sara immediately ran through a mental checklist to see if she had done anything wrong at a crime scene lately.

Joe saw her serious face and chuckled, "Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

Sara smiled shyly at him, "You had me worried for a minute there!"

Joe opened a file folder with the name _Sidle, Sara_ typed boldly across the cover and said to her, "You have done an excellent job so far and I am recommending you for CSI Level Two."

Sara tried to contain her excitement as she calmly thanked him, "I am sure I won't let you down, Joe."

"I am sure you won't. But there is the issue with your continuing education." Joe fingered the personnel file folder in front of him.

"Joe, I am more than qualified considering my background educations." Sara spoke up quickly, afraid that he might change his mind about the promotion.

"Sara, you're a physics major and we investigate crimes, not how Newton dropped his damned apples. Unless, of course, those apples happened to crack somebody's skull while coming down." Joe mused at her briefly before continuing, "That's why I have signed you up for a couple of advanced forensic science classes to be offered at Berkeley next month."

Sara eyed him, waiting for the catch.

"Ace those courses and you'll get your new badge." Joe said simply.

Sara let out the breath she was holding. That wasn't so bad. She had always breezed through school and these classes would not be any different. Sara was contemplating about her new promotion when Joe said something that stopped all her thoughts, breathing included.

"Oh, forgot to mention. Dr. Gil Grissom, entomologist extraordinaire, will be teaching the classes." He looked at Sara, trying to hold back a grin. "I heard he's a very good lecturer."

Sara's brows crunched into a surprised look. "Dr. Grissom?"

"Yeah. The guy's an amazing criminalist. He comes here to help out once in a while with some hard to crack bug cases." He paused in mid thought and looked at Sara, "Hmm... I guess you weren't here yet the last time he came to consult on a case. Next time he's here, I'll let you work with him."

Work with Gil Grissom? She wondered what it would be like working side-by-side with a man like him. She could learn a lot from him, considering his experiences in the field. Great mind... great smile...

"Not so great sense of humor though." Joe verbally finished her thought, jerking her out of her own. "Anyway, just to let you know so you can prepare for the classes. Good luck and hope you will earn your new promotion soon!"

"Thanks Joe." Sara said gratefully and got up to leave. Now, all she needed to do was to concentrate on four more weeks of work before seeing Professor Gil Grissom again. It had been five months since his last lecture, Sara wondered if he still remembered her...

* * *

"Hey!" Catherine entered Grissom's office and unceremoniously flopped down onto the guest chair facing his desk. "What's going on? You're leaving again?" 

Grissom looked up from his paperwork and answered shortly, "Just another lecture."

"But you just came back from the last one." She whined at him.

"That was six months ago, Catherine."

"So, how long am I supposed to hold up the fort this time?" Catherine asked while scanning around his office, her eyes suddenly narrowed at a something she saw.

"Three weeks." He shrugged and continued shoving folders into his briefcase.

"Three weeks?" She looked at him in surprise, "What does Brass say about it?"

"Brass knows about my lectures." He said indifferently as he stood up to remove some glass jarred specimens from his desk to the shelves. "Never had a problem before... shouldn't have any now."

Catherine grimaced at the preserved radiated fetal pig before she spoke up again. "You have never taken off this long before."

He sighed and addressed her like an adult explaining ground rules to a small child, "Cath... just so you'll know, two weeks for two different classes and one week vacation."

"You? Vacation?" She stared at him in disbelief. "That's a new one!"

"To see my mother, Catherine!" He sounded exasperated.

"If you say so." She shot him a look, clearly stating that she didn't believe his explanation about the time-off.

"Do me a favor Cath?" He quickly changed the subject.

"Sure, as long as you don't make me move into this office." She gave him a mocked grin.

"Keep an eye out for Nicky. He's new and anxious as a puppy at a crime scene."

"No problem. Anything else?"

"That's it. Thanks."

"By the way, what's with these butterfly displays?" Catherine's hand made a grand gesture at Grissom's latest office decorations. "Since when are you interested in butterflies?"

_Since I met __**her... **_His most private inner thought almost slipped out loud. "Since I find them beautiful."

"Hmm... Since the last San Francisco trip..." She eyed him suspiciously, gauging his reactions.

He put on his best poker face at Catherine's inquisition.

"So, what's the latest on The Bet?"

Grissom instantly regretted that he had told her about the infamous games involving the women from his lecture circuit. Trust Catherine to have a keen eye for things out of the ordinary. He made mental notes to himself to take home most of his butterfly displays. He sat back down on his chair and pouted at her, "You know how it is... too many women... so little time..."

Catherine burst out laughing at his remark. "Ok Casanova! Apparently you haven't taken your head out of the microscope long enough to hear the latest gossip about you!"

He lifted his coffee mug to his mouth, trying to hide his curiosity. "What gossip?"

"Gil... are you gay?"

Grissom choked on the black liquid that was making its way down the wrong pipe. "Excuse me?"

"You know, it's ok if you are." Catherine continued her rambling. "Society is a lot more tolerant these days. Besides, I --"

"Catherine!" He practically had to yell at her to get her to shut up. "What are you talking about?"

"As I was saying, I fully support you if you are batting for the other side."

He gave her an annoyed look. "Which side I am batting for is none of anyone's business. And where the hell did this come from?"

"Those lab techs you have been flirting with." Catherine's lips curved into a sheepish grin. "One of them, I think it was Charlotte. Well, I overheard she told the other girls that all you do is talk but never really carry out your intentions."

Grissom felt a headache slowly forming at the base of his neck and quickly searched his briefcase for his medications. He took out a couple of pills, popped them into his mouth and gulped down a mouthful of acrid coffee. He was glad at that moment that he was going away for three weeks. He was open-minded enough to not really care what people thought of his sexual preferences, but to have them speculating and discussing his actions as a result of it, and behind his back no less, was just utterly mind boggling. "You go see fireworks every year on the Fourth, Cath?"

She nodded silently at him, perplexed.

"You like them?"

"Yeah..." Unsure where he was heading with his train of thought.

"Do you take them home with you?"

"No..."

"Exactly!" He gave her a _duh!_ look. "I may have given a compliment or two to people but that doesn't mean I want to jump into bed with them."

"Ok..." She dragged out the syllables long enough to indicate that either she didn't really believe what he was saying or she had no clue. "Well whatever it is... I just want you to know that I am a hundred percent behind you!"

Grissom just rolled his eyes as Catherine quickly jumped on her feet and prepared to leave. Catherine could really have an one-tracked mind sometimes, he thought.

"Have fun with your _mother_ by the way!" She just couldn't help leaving without a parting shot.

_Two could play this game... _"Catherine?" He called out to her with a straight face. "I'm going to miss your tush."

Catherine turned back to face him and smiled, "Save it for whoever it is that manages to draw you away from the lab for three whole weeks!"

* * *

"You should stop stalking me like this." 

Sara looked up from her turkey sandwich to find Professor Gil Grissom grinning down at her while holding a lunch tray. The man's audacity never ceased to amaze her. He had carried flirtation to a hold new level and she was teetering between really disliking the man and completely succumbing to his boyish charms. "Since I am obviously _stalking_ you, are you expecting me to ask you to sit down?"

"Thank you Ms. Sidle!" He set down his tray and helped himself to the chair opposite hers. "I would love to join you!"

She cocked a brow at him, surprised that he remembered her name from this morning's introductions. "You can just call me Sara."

"Sara." He was still grinning at her when he picked up his glass of milk and started to drink it, his gaze never left her.

She could not help but smile back him. His grin was contagious and she was mesmerized by the lopsided upward curve of his lips which synchronized with the corners of his mischievous intense blue eyes to form a very charming expression.

Suddenly his right eye narrowed in puzzlement. "Something funny?"

Her index finger immediately came up to touch the strip of skin right above her upper lip. "Milk mustache."

"Oh." He quickly wiped it away with his paper napkin as she briefly glanced down at her lunch, suddenly feeling very shy.

In a cafeteria full of people during lunch hour rush, Sara couldn't seem to hear anyone else except for the quiet sound of her and Grissom's silent exchange. Awkwardly, she spoke up, "I --"

"I --" to have him voiced up at the same time.

They both laughed, then again exclaimed simultaneously, "You first!"

Being a gentleman, he nodded his head at her, gesturing for her to speak first.

"I just wanted to say that I find your class quite interesting so far today."

"I am glad." His eyes were piercing into hers, piercing into her thoughts. "You were quiet all morning, I was afraid that I had bored you to death on the very first day of lecture."

"No...oh, no," Sara shook her head adamantly, "I was just taking notes. Besides... I was waiting for everyone else to finish with their questions before I'd ask mine."

He chuckled at her then, "At the rate you're going, I don't think you'll ever get your questions answered."

"I'll take my chances."

"You believe in chance Sara?" His voice suddenly lowered, his face serious.

He caught her off guard with a question she couldn't answer, not with the way he was looking at her at that moment. Something passed between them that she couldn't quite grab a hold of. She suddenly realized that her pulse was racing faster and wished that she was somewhere else but here, being scrutinized by this handsome man in front of her. Oh God! Did she just say handsome? _You don't need this Sidle... He'll break your heart like the others..._ She gazed at his face... Yes, he had the potential to hurt her, deeply. _Think of all the women he discarded before you..._

"Um... Dr. Grissom..."

"You can drop the Doctor part..." The tone of his voice had lightened up a bit. "This is an informal setting, just call me Grissom."

"Uh... Grissom..." Somehow the missing title seemed to make his name more intimate to her, scaring her even more. "I think it's almost time to get back to class..."

"What's the rush?" His voice had gone back to normal, his face cheerful again. "I'm the teacher remember? Without me, there is no class."

"Are you always so cocky?" Sara could not believe she actually asked him that.

"Yes, dear." He grinned at her once again, totally captivated her. "Especially when I am trying to impress a woman such as yourself."

Wow...no one had ever said _that_ to her... What would be a comeback for something like that? She decided it was safer to just not dwell too deeply into those words and just be casual about it. "I am sure you say that to every woman you meet."

"Only the pretty ones..."

"Are you flirting with me Dr. Grissom?"

"It's Grissom... and yes..." He was having way too much fun with her. "Do you want me to stop?"

Damn! Josie was right about this guy. She had been warned. "You haven't touched your lunch."

"Are you trying to change the subject?" He was relentless in his teasing, detecting that they both were enjoying the banter. "You haven't answered my question."

"There you are!" They both turned their heads to find Detective Amie Harris approaching with her own lunch. "Are you having a cram session without me?"

Amie pulled up a chair and sat down without waiting for an invite. Grissom stole a glance in Sara's direction before turning back to Amie, "Sara hadn't had a chance to ask questions all morning so I am giving her an opportunity to catch up."

"You should stop with these private lessons Gil." Amie eyed Grissom, her double entendre not lost on the three of them.

Sara scanned Amie's face then Grissom's and decided she needed to leave this conversation fast, especially after Amie referred to him by his given name. Apparently they were more than casual acquaintances. Sara began to gather up her belongings and her heart, and excused herself, "Um... Please excuses me but I... uh... need to go make a phone call. I'll see you both in class later."

She made a quick exit and disappeared outside for a brief walk to clear her head before the afternoon session of the course.

* * *

Sara was washing her hands in ladies room when Detective Amie Harris entered. Once Amie noticed Sara was standing there, the determined looking blonde walked purposely toward Sara and came to stop in front of her. Leaning against the sink next to her, Amie eyed her for a moment before speaking up. 

"Sara Sidle?"

Amie's voice made Sara a little apprehensive and Amie's posture against that sink did not help the matter. She stared back at Amie briefly then broke out a friendly smile, "Who wants to know?"

Amie did not bother to smile back but continued with her interrogation. "What's going on?"

Sara gave Amie a confused look before asking, "I beg your pardon?"

"I saw you flirting with him." Amie clarified. "I didn't know you're in on it."

"I am sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about." Sara suspected that Amie meant Gil Grissom but she refused to acknowledge it. She was definitely _not_ flirting with _him_. He was the one who kept teasing her with his remarks... and his intense blue eyes... Even _if_ she was flirting, which she was not, it was none of Amie's business anyway.

"Look, either you're in the game or get out of the way."

"Excuse me?" Sara looked flabbergasted.

"Listen rookie, I've seen girls like you," Amie could be a tower of intimidation when she really wanted to, "Sashay in here with Daddy's paid for degrees and expect everyone to kowtow to your every whim."

Sara just stared wordlessly at Amie, a rabid canine out of control.

"You're a physics major for God's sake. How the hell did you get a job working in a crime lab anyway?" Amie smirked with malice. "Slept with someone important?"

That remark almost earned Amie a slap in the face but Sara decided to take the high road, though not without flared temper, "You know what, I don't want to stoop to your level but you're on. You wanna play? You got it!"

"Good!" Amie was smiling at Sara now. "Make sure you stick with the rules, rookie."

"What rules?" Sara was still reeling from the fact that in a moment of hotheadedness, she had been goaded into participating in something as crazy as this bet.

"The rules are, there are no rules. Don't play fair, just play dirty. And the winner must have physical evidence."

"Physical evidence?" Sara began to wonder what she had gotten herself into.

"We both work in law enforcement, Sara." Amie's grin grew wider as she spoke. "DNA evidence and I am not talking about the epithelial kind."

Sara groaned inwardly... she seriously needed a cigarette after this conversation. She could not believe that there were people with so much time on their hands that they would actually sit down and think up all these rules... no, to think up of this bet to begin with. Her brain cells must have been fried since she cared enough to ask the next questions. "And what of the loser? What is the pay up?"

"Watching the winner flaunts her _trophy_. Isn't that enough?" Amie paused and looked at Sara for her reaction. Seeing none, she continued as an afterthought. "Oh, and a hundred bucks to enter the bet. Contact Josie from your side of the house. What good is a bet without monetary gain? Those hind cheeks are worth every penny, even for the loser."

With that, Amie left the bathroom leaving Sara desperately trying to think up a way to back out of this bet.

* * *

_**TBC**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **These CSI characters do not belong to me. 'nough said!

**Rating: T.**

**A/N:** First of all, I want to thank those of you who whipped my derriere back to focus on this story with your comments! There is so much going on since the premiere that makes it impossible to concentrate on a story such as this one. I take full responsibility for not updating in a timely manner but please blame TPTB for my muse's lack of focus. ;) Once again, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. Your comments meant a lot to me (and thoroughly loved!). If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also. Peace…

* * *

**Chapter 04**

"How do I get out of this?"

"You came straight here from class just to talk about the bet?" Josie eyed Sara for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Hey, stop it!" Sara retorted, looking indignant. "You try being cornered in the ladies' room by Amie Harris!"

"Ok, I am sorry." Josie paused momentarily as her black almond eyes grinned at Sara before turning serious. "Sara, Amie is pit bull. She will not stop until she gets what she wants. Do you know why she holds the best solve rate over at PD?"

Sara just shook her head.

"It's because she's relentless, she doesn't take 'no' for an answer and she defines police brutality by kicking the crap out any schmuck who crosses path with her."

"So I should be grateful that she's a bully?" Sara gave Josie a lopsided smirk.

"No, what I am saying is to survive her games, you need to be tougher than her and not to give up too easily."

"But I don't want to play her games."

Josie gave her friend a sympathetic smile then continued, "Look, you don't have to join the bet if you don't want to. But since Amie has already thought of you as competition, she won't back down until you're off the playing field."

Sara laughed, "How can I get off the playing field when I was never on it in the first place!"

* * *

Sara blamed insomnia for her desire to wake up the next morning and arrived an hour early for class. As she strolled toward the lecture hall, the morning sun beckoned her and made her realized that it had been a long time since she actually enjoyed basking in the early morning rays. Sara quickly scanned her surrounding and found a patch of grass on the side of the building where she could just sit and quietly meditate. She situated herself along with her book bag atop the dew-encased blades of grass and faced the sun. She was sure her black jeans would get grass stains after this but she didn't care, no one would see them since the jeans were black after all. Once comfortably cross-legged, she closed her eyes and just relaxed into the serenity of the moment. 

Sara felt his presence even before he had a chance to say a word to her. He was standing in front of her now, blocking the source of her relaxation. Sara cracked one eye open and looked up at a grinning Dr. Grissom. "I'm not stalking you again, am I?"

His smile turned mischievous as she opened the other eye, "No, but I am thrilled at your barely contained enthusiasm as you wait for me this early in the morning."

"Wow, from stalking to harassment in less than twenty four hours, you may as well throw the book at me and cuff me now." Sara held out her hands, wrists face up in playfulness.

"Please don't tempt me... I may have to cuff you for purposes other than putting you in jail." His grin grew wider as he winked at her.

Sara shook her head in laughter as she briefly glanced down at her lap, then back up at his intense blue eyes. "You are just incorrigible!"

"Have coffee with me. Class won't start for another hour." It wasn't a question but a demand, a gentle demand... "Please..." One that Sara couldn't turn down even if she wanted to.

Grissom extended his hand to help her up from her sitting position while she stared hesitantly at him before accepting his offer. The warmth of his hand made her blood accelerated under her pale skin, causing her to blush under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Uh-hmm..." Sara cleared her throat, signaling to the man in front of her that he was still holding her hand captive, a bit longer than necessary, though she wasn't really complaining.

Looking down at their entwined hands, Grissom reluctantly let his drop away from Sara's as one corner of his mouth curved up into an apologetic grin. "Um... sorry..."

"I know a coffee shop a five-minute walk from here," Sara quickly turned his attention away from the momentarily awkwardness of their first touch, "Would you like to go there or stay on campus?"

"When in Rome..." He cocked his head to the general direction opposite the lecture hall. "You lead."

The quick walk to the coffee shop was filled with weather conversations and notes comparisons between living in the middle of the desert and having the Pacific Ocean right in your backyard. Once they bought their coffee and, at his insistence, huge homemade bran muffins, they settled on a two-seat corner table and enjoyed their impromptu breakfast. Between bites of deliciously warm muffins, bits and pieces of their backgrounds were shared, though all of which were career related and none of personal nature. When the last drop of coffee was consumed, they quietly stared at their empty cups and agreed it was time to head to class. Their walk back to the lecture hall was shrouded in silence, each contemplating on what had just happened during the last hour.

Once back in the safe environment of academia, he was once again the teacher and she, the student. He lectured and she took notes. And asked questions, a lot of questions. Whether it was conscious or unconscious on her part, Sara had begun to feel the need to have her knowledge validated by this man. His commanding personality demanded perfection and nothing less. In the beginning, her questions were answered adequately, just enough to lead to the next one. By the end of the fourth day, her questions were met with long discussions between her and Grissom, sometimes other members of the class would joined in, but mostly, it seemed to the rest of the world that they were lost in their own little bubble of awareness.

Despite what her brain adamantly denied, her heart drew her to him like a moth to a flame. As cliché as it sounded, she found herself anticipating each day of lecture with the very charming but disturbingly handsome Dr. Grissom. There was no denying that the man knew his subject inside out and very well respected in his field of study. The flip side of the coin was, after three consecutive breakfast 'dates', she still knew nothing about his personal life and it didn't seem like he was about to divulge any information anytime soon.

As much as she enjoyed her time with Grissom, Sara was also aware that Detective Amie Harris had been observing her and Grissom's dynamics closely for the past week and it made her feel a little unsettled. She did not want anymore confrontation with Amie but a part of her knew that it was inevitable that the subject of the bet would eventually come back to haunt her.

* * *

Gil Grissom had never really cared about dressing up just to impress a woman but when he woke up the morning of the fifth day of his lecture, the urge to make a certain brunette turn her head was so overwhelming that he practically jumped out of bed and into the bathroom. Staring at his face in the mirror above the sink, Grissom wondered if she would find his stubbles sexy or would she think of him as lazy for not shaving. Like the ever-changing seasons, Grissom's beard would make an appearance every few years. He would go through his beard phase until he'd wake up one morning and decide he wanted his face back and welcomed the straight razor with open arms. It had been awhile since his last beard phase and he wasn't planning on having one in the near future so in the end, he played it safe and shaved himself clean. 

After his shower, he was determined to dress to kill with butt hugging blue jeans (Catherine once mentioned that women would drool over men who wore these), a beige shirt and a dark brown Western styled blazer. He finished off the outfit with ankle length boots. The only things missing were a genuine Stetson and a six-shooter (though his Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic would more than qualified but he had left it back in Vegas) or he would have been an image Roy Rogers would be proud of.

As he marched his way toward the coffee shop to meet with Sara that morning, he felt like he could conquer the world and ready to ooze the cowboy charms. When he finally saw her sitting at their usual table, her profile buried deep in one of his textbooks, his thoughts had diminished to the Neanderthal-ish _You me... discover fire. _

Sara looked up from her reading when he approached the table and gave him one of her mega-watt smiles. "I guess the sheriff is back in town. Wow... you look... wow..."

Her words made his heart pumped faster, pushing all coherent thoughts out of his brain and circulating them elsewhere. "Thanks?" So much for oozing cowboy charms...

"I would like to think that you had dressed up just to impress me."

He gave her a perplexed look before shaking his head at her. "Ooh... touché!"

She gave him a hearty laugh, one that was so contagious that it had him laughing and mesmerized at the same time.

"I see you have been reading my recommended books." Grissom nodded his head at the reading materials residing on the table in front of her.

She just shrugged, "Just something to pass the time..." Then she quietly added, "...and your class."

"Trying to be my star pupil, are you?" He teased her but only received a shy dip of her head in return. His heart just did a backflip then. The more time he spent with her, the more fascinated he became. He was attracted not only to her natural beauty but at her thirst for knowledge also. Her rate of absorption of everything he said startled him and made him feel... proud. And if he wasn't too far off base, he could conclude that the attraction was mutual. And it was starting to scare him.

When she finally lifted her head to face him, she was ready to discuss whatever was in that book and they were back in the safe zone. Five minutes before they were scheduled to head to class, she fidgeted in her chair and blurted out something that made him did a double take.

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Her invitation caught him totally off guard and he had to bite down his tongue to prevent the escape of the reflexed 'no'. He stared at her for a moment just to confirm the accuracy of his hearing. And if she did ask him out, what would be the consequences of the date? As if reading his mind, she looked down at her coffee and said softly, "It's just dinner. No need for rationalization of the meanings behind it."

"Sara..." His answer stopped at those two syllables. He was grasping wildly for something to say but only came up empty handed.

"Look Grissom, I am a big girl, I can handle a 'no' if you're so inclined." She put on brave smile for his benefit but he could see the vulnerability hiding deep in her eyes. And it unhinged him.

"Yes..."

"Yes, you're inclined or..." Her brown eyes shot up at him in surprise...

"No..."

... then settled back down in disappointment at the table after his latest reply. "That's ok... some other time..."

"No... I mean 'yes'..." Grissom's hand reached across the table and lifted her chin so their eyes would meet. "Let's have dinner."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The rest of that Friday was lost in the euphoria of the impending date. Sara told him that she needed to swing by the lab to collect some personal stuff after class and could meet him at the restaurant. But being a traditionalist in some ways, he had insisted that he would come by and pick her up at her apartment and so she had handed him her address.

* * *

As Sara drove away from the Berkeley campus after class, a sudden thought occurred to her that Grissom might need her phone number just in case he couldn't find her home. She u-turned quickly and headed back toward the university. 

Whatever rational that had led Sara to go find Grissom this afternoon suddenly dissipated to be replaced by uttered mortification when she stood outside his temporary office, overhearing the muffled words permeated through the closed office door while watching two familiar silhouettes moved against one another through the opaque glass panel of the office wall.

"Gil... please..." Sara clearly recognized the owner of that feminine purr...

And the masculine reply that followed. "Amie... " was the last thing Sara heard before she quickly backed away from Grissom's office and practically sprinted down the hallway and out of the building.

* * *

_**TBC**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **These CSI characters do not belong to me. 'nough said!

**Rating: M (very soft, nothing explicit). ****Please note that I have decided to change the rating in order for the plot to progress.**

**A/N:** Thank you so much for your generous feedbacks! You all seriously overwhelmed me and I am deeply touched with your support! Me love you very much! If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also. Peace…

**

* * *

Chapter 05**

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Yes... in that order.

She had been warned about him by giant blinking neon signs but she chose to ignore the obvious. Was it pride and the desire to tame the beast that made her ask him to dinner? _Oh hubris, thy name is Sidle… _Realistically, she knew that a relationship with a man like Grissom was impossible. Besides the facts that he was only in town temporary and would be gone when the lectures were over, his hesitance in accepting a mere dinner invitation had signaled to her that he wasn't interested. She could see clearly now that those morning coffee sessions were just fun diversions to keep his boredom at bay while he was here.

But stupidity number two was when she actually believed that she could conquer uncharted territory. She had never considered herself smart but no other man had captured her mind like he did. He challenged her to think outside the box, ignore conventional wisdom and let the evidence guide her instinct. She had let him make love to her with his mind and she fell headlong for each intelligent thought and idealism. And in the end, she had let him take her to climax with the overwhelming need for them to push beyond the teacher-student boundary.

And now, knowing the truth about the unattainability of the situation, she still plowed ahead with stupidity number three. If diversions were what Dr. Gil Grissom wanted, then diversions he would get. Rejections be damned, she was fed up and obstinately determined to end her streak of bad dates by not letting another guy hand her his "sister's" panties after a night of fun.

* * *

"You look great tonight." Grissom complimented her again as they were being seated at Cliff House, a restaurant over looking the majestic Pacific Ocean. When he first saw her opened her door in her black knee-length silk sheath with spaghetti straps earlier in the evening, he had been wordless before recovering enough to say she looked "great". Now, sitting across from her in a crowded restaurant, Sara was amused to find that Grissom could only seem to articulate the same limited vocabulary. 

Civility dictated that she returned the compliment, "You look nice too..." though nice would be the understatement of the century. He looked - well... yummy, delicious, delectable, scrumptious (mercy! he was making her hungry) ... in a black suit with black polo shirt.

"Have you been sneaking around my closet lately?" He asked between glancing at her and reading his menu. "I find our matching of color is more than a coincidence."

Sara just had to giggle at the image. "You know, some things are just random."

"And our meeting at my first lecture and subsequently, this dinner," He quirked an brow as he lowered his menu, "are these random events too?"

"Probability theory would suggest that our chances of meeting are greater than the rest of the population since we're both criminalists."

"What about this dinner?" He eyed her carefully.

"You do realize that the randomness in the probability theory does result in a predictable pattern," She eyed him back, challenging and teasing at the same time, "one that if you pay close enough attention, you can postulate the outcome."

Sara could see the fascination in his eyes as he was about to say something in return when they were interrupted by the waiter, taking their orders.

When the waiter left, Grissom's fascination had evolved into curiosity. "Why did you decide to major in physics?"

Ah, things were heading down predictable pattern number one, academic background. "I like numbers. And the abstract forces that shape our daily lives."

"What about your family?" His curiosity had just crossed the line into something more personal. "Did they have any influence on your study?"

Hah! Predictable pattern number two, family background, with a statistic variable thrown in, family influence. Sara had to stifle a laugh. Her family? Influence on her study? Oh, if he could only know. "They were more interested in the chemical and pathology of the human aspect."

"They were scientists also." He had noticed her usage of past tense.

"Yeah, in a sense." She replied with a fixed smile on her face. "They wanted to know how far a human body could withstand pain and suffering before it snapped."

Grissom just stared at her cryptic answer, dumbfounded. Let him solve that puzzle, Mr. Scientist! His face went through a myriad of unvoiced thoughts before their waiter arrived with their wine. Sipping their drinks, they discussed everything from astronomy to zoology. And when the food came, they enjoyed their meals with easy banters, devoid of anything serious. Sara leaned that he had a mother who still lived in Southern California and his father passed away when he was nine. She could detect something flashed through his eyes when he mentioned his father but had quickly disappeared as it had appeared. The rest of his background stories had consisted of his studies and his passion for bugs.

When the check came, she had grabbed her purse intending to pay but he had insisted on paying for dinner since he claimed he was brought up to be chivalrous with the ladies. And that, had made her laugh.

They walked out of the restaurant into a beautiful cool night. Sara could sense that he wasn't prepared for the night to end just yet.

"Want to take a walk?" Sara grabbed his hand and gave a slight tug. "C'mon Dr. Grissom, the beach beckons."

He smiled at her then added, "Now I know the secret to loosing you up is to order good wine."

"Are you saying that I am uptight?" She asked, her voice teasing.

"Not uptight, just reserved." He replied while following her down a narrow path leading to the patch of beach behind the restaurant.

Sara suddenly stopped in her track, spun around and kissed him lingeringly on the lips… not just any regular old kiss but one of the wet, pulse racing, heart pounding, potential orgasm inducing variety. When she felt his body tensed, she pulled away and gave him a lopsided smirk, "Who's the prude now?"

He just stared at her, wide-eyed and in total shock.

"You look so cute when you're speechless."

His brows crunched together mid forehead as one raised higher than the other. "Cute? Yes… Speechless? Never."

Sara had to laugh out loud at his ability to recover so quickly from an awkward situation. They made their way down to the beach and he never once mentioned their kiss though she knew it did have an effect on him. Once they reached the sand, she left him standing on the beach as she took off her sandals and ran barefoot to the cool water. She let the ocean breeze bathe her face and body, though with constant awareness that Grissom was staring at her from behind.

She just stood there, drinking in the moment when the heat of his gaze on her back finally forced her to turn around and tractor beamed her back to him. He was standing so still that she had to nudge him, "What's the matter? Having hydrophobia?"

"You know this is the first time that I have seen you with your hair down?" His hand came up to touch her curls; his index and middle fingers twisted a lock gently. "You always had your hair in a ponytail."

"You have seen me all night and this is the first time you noticed?" She asked softly, enjoying his touch.

"I… my mind had been preoccupied with other aspects… of you…" He grinned sheepishly at her.

"Let's go back to your hotel room." She suggested off-handedly, trying not to let him see her nervousness.

He stared at her, trying to decipher her thoughts. "Sara…"

"Shhh…" She raised an index finger to his lips, "let's forget the world for one night… let's see what happens…"

"I don't know what -"

Sara cut him off as her lips landed swiftly on his, effectively shutting him up and surprised him into submission. When she was sure his previous thought was banished, she lifted her mouth and gave him a dark sultry smile, "Stop analyzing and start fraternizing…"

He caught her off guard as his hand shot out to palm the nape of her neck and pulled her toward him for a bruising kiss. There was nothing virginal about the kiss when his tongue slid between her lips and sought entrance. And she gladly obliged. He tasted of red wine and something else… the distinctive sweet smells of carnal needs, that particular scent a man emitted right before he went over the edge.

Grissom suddenly pulled away from her and asked in a breathless voice, "Will you be more comfortable at your place?"

Sara shook her head and gave him her most innocent smile. She did not want any trace evidence of him in her sanctuary if it served only to be a reminder of him once the night was over. And she definitely did not want his scent to linger on her sheets and pillows to remind her of how her heart would never beat to that magic rhythm ever again. She just grabbed his hand and silently led him back to his car.

The ride back to his hotel was made in silence. Sara wasn't about to let him have a change of heart by lapsing into her usual over-talking self. Like an improperly balanced chemical equation, they were so volatile that any sudden movement from either of them could kick off a chain reaction that might or might not cumulate in the desired result.

When they reached the hotel, he quietly led her through the lobby and toward the elevator that situated between the gym and pool house. The minute the elevator doors dinged shut, she found herself being pushed against the back wall and kissed senseless. Now, she could safely testify in a court of law that men do kiss better as they get older. Or it could just him being good at what he does... One taste of Dr. Grissom and she would not go back to any TA anytime soon. He was unequivocally good at mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-neck, mouth-to-any-erogenous-zone on her body.

Sara was still breathless when Grissom suddenly jerked away from her and seized her hand, "We get off at this floor."

"Oh, ok…" She looked at him through dazed eyes, concentrating hard on what he was telling her. He led her out of the elevator, down the brightly lit hallway to his room at the end of the corridor.

For all their combined experiences, they were like awkward virgins the minute they passed the threshold into Grissom's room.

"You want something to drink?" Grissom asked her as he opened the hotel's fully stocked mini-fridge, clearly buying his time.

"No, thank you." Sara eyed him as he closed the fridge and moved to sit at the foot of the bed, facing her.

"Sara..." He patted the bed, inviting her to sit beside him.

She moved to kneel in front of him instead, her hands on his lap.

"Honey, you sure this is what you want?" He brought his hands up to cup her face; his thumbs caressed her lower lip.

She just nodded, unable to trust her voice. The tender look he gave her nearly broke her heart. He then slid off the bed and knelt before her, his hands trailed down her slender neck, leaving paths of epithelial from her cheeks to collarbones to her arms. When his mouth descended on hers for the umpteenth time and his hands explored her body in minute detail, her world was suddenly reduced to just the molecules surrounding her, enveloping her with pleasures that she had never experienced before.

When he broke away, his eyes silently asked her again if this was what she really wanted. Sara turned to grab her purse, pulled out a condom and handed it to him.

"You came prepared?" He smirked at her then.

"That's me... forever the optimist..." She quirked a brow back at him.

His smirk morphed into a wide grin as he stood up and pulled her up with him.

When they did make it to the bed, more kissing and touching and exploring ensued. His hands were, for lack of a better word, incredible. If this were how he handled his bugs, she would gladly trade in her _Homo sapiens_ status and live forever as one of his beloved specimen.

And when he finally entered her, she wanted to wax poetic and claim every cliché in existence but decided to hell with it all. Who needed them when the raw emotions were sending her nerve endings into overload and the line between fantasy and reality was so blurred that her brain had a hard time distinguishing and therefore, had shut down in favor of physiological needs.

She didn't remember shouting out his name when she came but recalled the surprise in his dark, almost grayish cerulean eyes. Her body felt light and her surrounding surreal. She was floating inside a euphoric fog and wanted nothing more than to be lost in it forever... until his voice enticed her out of the mist as he called out her name as he trembled on top of her...

The mattress undipped as he got up and went into the bathroom to clean up. He stayed there a little longer than was necessary, it was the usual sign that the guy was done for the evening and no longer interested, leaving her wondering if this were the moment she should make her exit. She decided to leave while she still had her dignity intact. She got up and searched for her clothes when the sudden voice behind her made her jumped.

"I really admired this particular view tonight at the beach, but now, I will need to amend my observation." Grissom gave a small chuckle as he gazed at her naked backside before turning serious. "Sara, what are you doing?"

"Getting dressed." She said simply, putting on her panties.

"Why?" His voice sounded perplexed.

"So I can leave."

"But why?"

"I think I overstayed my welcome." There, she said it. She felt like an idiot for letting this man in on her vulnerability.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing… just forget what I said."

"How are you going leave without a car?"

She turned to face him and pursed her lip. "I'll call a cab. Don't worry about me."

He just stood facing her, stoic, deep in thoughts, then finally said, "Sara…stay..." His eyes mirrored the pleading in his voice. "Just stay…"

Sara waited until she heard the gentle snores from her companion before quietly getting out of bed and quickly got dressed. She then stood and stared at the tussle haired and muscled form of a man at his prime as he burrowed deep in post-coital slumber.

No love, no intimacy. Only the bittersweet taste of something beautiful that wasn't meant to be. Sara smiled sadly at Grissom then left his hotel room without another glance.

* * *

Grissom woke up to the quiet humming sound of the air conditioner. He instinctively reached over to the empty side of the bed and instantly knew that she was gone. 

No notes, no goodbyes.

He sat up on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed heavily. He wondered if he had disappointed her in bed and she didn't have the heart to tell him face to face. Or maybe this one-night stand didn't mean anything to her and he had been just another notch on her proverbial belt. She came, she plundered, she left. She definitely took a page right out of the history textbook with the likes of Genghis Khan and William Tecumseh Sherman. The latter explanation seemed more plausible but then again, it could be both and he silently cursed himself for yielding to his basal needs.

The knocks on the door interrupted Grissom's thoughts. She had returned.

He hurriedly pulled on his pants and practically sprinted toward the door with a smile plastered on his face, prepared to take her into his arms and never let go.

"Hello Gil."

Grissom's smile died on his face, to be replaced by a cordial smirk. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too."

"Look Amie, it's late." Grissom sighed as he looked past Amie Harris, down the hallway. "I don't think it's a good idea –"

"Hey, relax." Amie interrupted him. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought maybe you would like to join me for a nightcap."

"Thanks but no." Grissom spoke a lot more forceful than he had anticipated.

"If it's about what happened this afternoon…"

"Amie, I prefer to think that it had never taken place."

Amie feigned a hurt look then said softly, "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it."

"You didn't give me much of a choice." His voice betrayed his exasperation.

"You're avoiding the issue."

"I am not avoiding anything." He sighed again then continued. "Look, I think it's probably for the best if we don't see each other outside of class from now on."

Amie eyed him intently then slowly smiled at him. "Fine, if that's what you want."

"Yes." Grissom felt really lousy for hurting the feelings of another human being but in this case, there was no round about way of handling it.

Amie stared at him to gauge the truthfulness of his word before speaking up again. "You mind if I use your bathroom to fresh up before I hit the road?" Grissom gave her a suspicious look before Amie busted out laughing. "Don't worry, you're safe. I am not going to jump you. I do have my pride you know."

Grissom let go of the door and stepped aside to let Amie enter his hotel room. He waited by the entrance as Amie did her business and when she returned, he was still waiting at the same spot.

"Thanks. I'll see you in class on Monday." Amie smiled politely at him as she strolled out of his room. "Good night Dr. Grissom."

"Good night Amie."

* * *

Amie walked purposely to her car and quickly got in. She reached over to her glove compartment and grabbed a Ziploc bag from the stash that she kept for evidence collecting. She then carefully pulled a wad of toilet paper out of her pants pocket and unfolded the layers to expose a used condom. Amie put the condom into the plastic bag, zipped it up and pulled out her cell phone. 

"Josie?" The blonde woman spoke calmly into her cell phone as she eyed the latex material nestled within the Ziploc bag. "It's Amie Harris from PD. I need to see you at the lab ASAP."

After a momentary pause as she listened to Josie Mendez on the other end, the San Francisco detective smirked and continued, "No, no… not work related. It's about who just won the bet."

_**

* * *

TBC **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Nope, don't own them. As of November 15th, 2007, don't really want to…

**Rating: M (very Mild). **

**A/N:** I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of this story and for your kind reviews! If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also. Peace…

* * *

**Chapter 06**

"Ms. Sidle, may I have a word with you?"

He caught her as she was about to escape his clutches. She had intentionally come to class late this Monday morning and had disappeared during lunch to avoid him. And she almost made it through the whole day too… Well, almost… No such luck. She paused in her track and turned to face Grissom, lopsided grin fixed on her face.

He silently picked up his briefcase and stepped down from the podium. Several students approached him with questions but he brushed them off by telling them to come during his designated office hours. Then with the calculated quietness of a predator hunting its prey, he advanced toward the classroom doorway where Sara was standing. He wasn't smiling when he gestured with his hand for her to walk in front of him, "My office, please."

He looked pissed. He sounded pissed. Yeah, he was pissed. Sara couldn't understand why he should be though. She was just one of his many pastimes and he was going to leave town at the end of the week. Was he expecting an encore performance of Friday night for the duration of his stay? As much as she wanted to oblige the fantasy, she just couldn't do it. She knew the more time she'd spend with him, the deeper the hole she'd have to dig herself out. And as far as she was concerned, she was already in too deep.

Sara tried to feign levity with "You know, I don't really have any question for the session today so…" but couldn't seem to lift the gravity of the situation when he gave the look that made her clamp her mouth shut. She just gave up and marched down the hallway with him followed closely behind.

Once inside his office, he motioned for her to take a seat opposite his desk while he pulled out a large manila envelope from his briefcase and handed it to her. He then sat down behind his desk and just stared at her.

Sara gave him a confused look as she pulled a letter-sized paper out of the envelope, "What is…" She stopped mid-sentence when she recognized the data printed on it. "Where did you get this?"

"You tell me." His tone was so quiet, it bordered on dangerous.

"You think I have something to do with this?" Sara's own rising temper was beginning to match his disposition.

"You tell me." He repeated with conviction.

"What the hell?" Sara briefly closed her eyes to calm her nerves and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, Grissom was still bearing down at her in full interrogation mode. She exhaled slowly while keeping her voice steady, "I don't know where you got this but I have nothing to do with it."

"No?" His eyes narrowed at her. "You and I were the only parties involved."

Sara pursed her lower lip as a realization hit her like a runaway train. No, they weren't the only parties involved. Amie Harris was with him after Sara had left Friday night. She had to be. How else could Sara explain the DNA results that were staring up at her right at this moment? Now, it really made her angry. "No, I don't think you and I were the only ones. If you'd ask Detective Harris, I am sure she'd have a lot of answers for you."

The utter mortification on his face was so priceless that it would have made her laugh if she wasn't so upset with the whole situation.

Sensing he wasn't about to speak, Sara continued, "For a man who wanted to have his cake and eat it too, you shouldn't be too quick to accuse me of violating the unspoken trust."

"What does Amie have to do with this?"

Sara stared at him incredulously. Either he was absolutely clueless or… and it really irked her to admit this… he and Amie were involved and he would rather trust his significant other than Sara. She pondered whether she should tell him about the stupid bet but decided against it. She shook her head in disbelief at Amie's game plan. Apparently Detective Harris had this whole thing thought out. She must have spent the night with Grissom and found out about his liaison with Sara through the conclusive evidence left behind at his hotel room, Sara thought to herself. _Way to go Sidle! You had delivered yourself straight into Amie's waiting hands with your __naiveté__… no, more like stupidity._

When she did not reply to his question, Grissom had assumed the worst and continued, "I don't know what kind of game you are playing with me but I want no part in it."

"You think this is some kind of game?" Sara eyed him in exasperation. "Why would I sleep with you then collect the DNA results from our night together?"

"I don't know," He quirked a brow back at her, "in my line of work, having DNA results of one's sexual encounter usually means malicious intent or… one of the contributors to the DNA profiles has something to gain out of the effort."

Sara gave a low chuckle. The cat was finally out of the bag. "You knew all along."

"So did you." Came the short retort. And the look on his face said it all.

She never knew that three little words could cut so deep. With three simple words, he had effectively implied that she was a conniving whore that would stop at nothing to win a game that she had no desire to partake. Sara licked her wounds and packed up her humiliation as she stood up, "Goodbye Dr. Grissom. I have no more explanations for you… none that you'd believe anyway."

"I tend not to believe people. People lie. The evidence doesn't lie."

"That's too bad because the evidence is only as good as the person interpreting it." She smirked sadly at him then turned around and headed for the door.

_Damn it!_ Grissom watched as Sara slipped out of his office and possibly out of his life forever. For the first time in his life, he had met someone that he could actually care for and he had seriously fucked it up… big time. His hand came up to massage the tensed muscles underneath his brows and rub the bridge of his nose. He never liked relationships. They were just too complicated.

What did people say about when it rained, it usually poured? His day had started out lousy. He had gotten up early and arrived at the coffee shop, and waited like a fool for a beautiful girl that never showed up. Then that said girl avoided him like a plague during class… no questions, no eye contacts. And then that same said girl disappeared during lunch and practically zoomed out at the end of class had he not caught her in time.

Oh yeah, he forgot to mention that during lunch break, someone had left an envelope in his mailbox containing his and a certain brunette's DNA profiles confirming the result of their one night together. And of course, being a total ass since he was upset with her, he had accused her of doing the unspeakable and had watched with satisfaction at the hurt on her face. God, he felt lower than dirt…

A soft knock on his door brought Grissom out of his reverie. "Yes?"

A girl with dark framed glasses poked her head inside his office. "Dr. Grissom?"

"Yes?"

"Dean White would like to see you now." The girl gave him the verbal message with a smile and quickly disappeared after he nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Of course, his day was not over yet. The Dean of Biological Sciences Division had requested a meeting with him this afternoon so he would not be able to go back to his hotel right away and sulk over why he had acted like a jackdonkey toward Sara Sidle.

* * *

"Gil, come in…" Jeffery White, Dean of Biological Sciences Division in the College of Letters & Science at UC Berkeley, waved Grissom into his office and offered him a seat. 

"Dean White." Grissom nodded his head in greeting as he sat down.

Dean White, a fragile looking, gray haired man in his mid-sixties, quickly closed a folder he was reading, took off his reading glasses and leaned back on his leather chair. "I haven't seen your mother in quite a while. How is she?"

Grissom nodded his head again. "She's fine. In fact, I am visiting her this coming weekend."

"Good, good." Dean White smiled kindly at him. "Please send her my deepest regards."

"No problem, I am sure she'll be glad to hear from you."

"Gil," The Dean observed Grissom from across his desk, looking as if unsure of what he was about to say. "Your father and I were close friends while he was alive and I have always considered you the son I never had."

Grissom seriously wondered where this conversation was heading. When the Dean pulled out "The Son" remark, it must not be good. Grissom smiled at him, "Yes, I am forever in your debt for your supports during my formidable years growing up and invaluable directions toward academia."

"Hmm…" Jeffery White nodded his head and Grissom could see the mental debate in the older man's eyes.

"Dean White, is there something you would like me to clarify for you?" Gil Grissom was always a firm believer in getting straight to the point.

And apparently the Dean felt the same way. "I need to ask you this and I need you to be honest with me Gil." Dean White sat up straight and leaned into his mahogany desk, his voice dead serious. "Are you having a relationship of sexual in nature with one of your students?"

* * *

_**TBC**_

**A/N#2:** For the sake of limited timeframe, please humor me concerning this chapter. We all know that getting DNA results is accomplished through months of waiting and not a matter of mere weeks or days. But alas, we are visiting the CSI paralleloverse and in this place, obtaining DNA analysis is just a simple process of handing a DNA lab tech a sample and leave to get some coffee and come back… Voila! Results!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Nope, don't own them. Have them on my Christmas list but I think I have been naughty this year...

**Rating: M (very Mild). **

**A/N:** I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of this story and for your kind reviews! If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also. Peace…

**A/N#2**: This will probably be my last update for the year (unless my kids would let me have some free time alone… LOL!). Happy holidays to everyone and thank you for all your wonderful support this past year! Couldn't have done it without readers like you! Smooch!

* * *

**Chapter 07**

"Sara!" Josie Mendez practically yelled out her partner's name as she made quick strides down the corridor of the San Francisco Crime Lab. "Where the hell were you the entire weekend?"

"Josie!" Sara quickly grabbed hold of Josie's arm and led her to the locker room. "Had Amie Harris contacted you at all this weekend?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you. I tried to call you at home and your beeper but didn't get any reply." Josie huffed at her, not knowing that Sara had intentionally turned off all communication to the outside world. "Jesus Sara! I don't know what's going on with the two of you but at least give me a warning next time."

"You are not making any sense Josie." Sara gave her a confused look.

"Well, I guess I should congratulate you for winning the bet!" Josie returned Sara's look with a mischievously one of her own.

Sara just stared at Josie like she had just sprouted an extra head.

"I assume you knew about the condom." It was more of a question than an unsure statement. Josie grinned sheepishly, "thought perhaps you left it for her to find, you know… just to piss her off."

Ignoring Josie's joking comment, Sara voiced her more urgent suspicion, "Amie gave you the condom for processing, didn't she."

"Yeah. I have been wondering all weekend why Amie would give me the 'evidence' with your DNA on it."

"Ugh Josie!" Sara exclaimed in exasperation. "If Amie wanted to win, she would have never given it to you."

"What happened?" Josie gave her friend a worried look. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"_Someone_ sent Grissom the DNA results and he thought I only slept with him just to win the bet."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'."

"Shit!" Josie just shook her head in disbelief. "Should have seen it coming. So did you explain to Dr. Grissom that you never were a part of this bet?"

"Why bothered? He'd already assumed the worst." Sara just shrugged sadly.

"Aww Sara!" Josie groaned loudly. "You can be as stubborn as a mule sometimes!"

Sara gave her buddy an annoyed glance. "Thanks!"

"By the way, thanks for telling me about your 'encounter' with Dr. Grissom." Josie feigned a hurt look. "I thought I was your friend and comrade in crime. I guess when it comes to sex, your closest friends are usually the last to know?"

"It was a spur of the moment." Sara stared at the opposite wall of the locker room, deep in thought. "I didn't think it would happen. Besides, it was a one time deal."

"Uh-huh…" Josie eyed her, disbelieving. "From the tone of your voice, I think this was more than just a one night stand."

"Trust me, it really was a one time deal." Sara smiled sadly at Josie, "You were right, he's a player and I was just curious…"

"You know what they say about how curiosity kills the cat?"

"Let's just say that this cat is down to its ninth life." Sara deadpanned, hoping to change the subject.

And Josie obliged. "So what do you want me to do with the money you won?"

Sara raised a brow at her. "It's not mine. I wasn't betting remember?"

Josie just shrugged. "Technically no but since Amie declared you the winner and practically announced to half of the free world, I think you should just take the money and splurge… you know, just to make you feel better."

"I don't want it." Sara declared adamantly.

"What am I going to do with it?"

"I don't know…" Sara thinned her lips in concentration. "Maybe you can donate the money to charity in Amie's name."

"Why?" Josie was surprised at Sara's suggestion.

"Because I think she's one sorry person and may need a lot of prayers for her soul later."

"I thought you don't believe in the spiritual mumbo jumbo."

"I don't but Amie's definitely going to need all the prayers she can get the next time she crosses path with me."

Josie gave Sara a concerned look. "Don't do anything stupid Sara. You know how Amie would love for you to lose control."

"Don't worry, I don't do stupid." Sara smiled weakly back at her friend and then quickly admitted, "Ok, I do do stupid things but not this time."

Before they could say anything more, their supervisor, Joe Maddox, poked his head inside the locker room. "Sidle! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Class ended hours ago." Sara replied. "Just thought I'd drop by the lab to see what's new."

"Ok. Keep me posted on your progress." Joe said and started to leave.

"Joe!" Sara called out to him and he turned to face her with a questioning look. "I need to talk to you about my class this week. You have a minute?"

Josie took that as her cue to exit. "I'll talk to you later Sara."

Once Josie left the room, Sara took a deep breath and said, "Joe, I have decided not to finish the second class."

Joe just blinked, unsure of what Sara was trying to tell him. "What's the matter? I thought we had a deal. You ace the two classes and I give you a new badge for CSI Level Two."

"Yeah, I remember." Sara sighed. "I just thought I could make it up with something else."

"Look Sara, there are two paths for moving up the journeyman level. One – experience, meaning you put in your time solving a gazillion cases and two – continued education with reduced field time." Joe paused to make sure Sara understood what he was trying to tell her. "I saw the potential in you so I opted for you to take the short cut but I can't promote you without proper justification. You completed the first class. Why can't you do the same for the second one?"

Sara thought hard for an explanation and ended up being the mule that Josie had accused her of. "I am sorry Joe, I can't do it."

Joe eyed her for a moment then inquired, "Why not?"

"I just can't." She answered simply.

Joe nodded his head, though looking skeptically at her. "You're one of my best rookie CSIs, Sidle. With your background and dedication, I am surprised that you would give up so easily. This isn't you."

Sara remained silent. She couldn't possibly say to her boss – 'Well Joe, I sorta slept with the teacher though we weren't technically sleeping at the time but that's beside the point. However, things sorta spiraled out of control after the teacher practically accused me of fucking him so I could win loads of money and earn a shout out to the whole world that I single handedly took him off the meat market and had proof of it. And now, I am willing to jeopardize my promotion, possibly career, so I won't have to face him again.' Yeah… that would go over real well with Joe. And so Sara just stared back at her boss without uttering a word.

When Joe realized that Sara wasn't about to supply an explanation, he heaved a deep sigh and said, "You disappoint me Sara, I really had high hopes for you." With that he left the locker room, leaving Sara feeling lousier than before.

Sara picked up her purse and decided she wanted a beer, maybe two… hell, she needed the whole six-pack. Yes, that would be her dinner tonight and for dessert, she'd chain smoke her way through her brand new pack of cigarettes.

As she walked past the receptionist on her way out of the San Francisco Crime Lab, the petite red head signaled to her and handed her a message. Sara quickly read the note in her hand, then wadded up the slip of paper and shoved it into her purse. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow, she thought. Tonight, she was planning on drowning her memories of Dr. Gil Grissom.

* * *

The sun had vanished into the horizon hours ago and she was still sitting on the lawn chair out on her third floor balcony. From his vantage point in his car, Grissom could make out her silhouette against the velvet night sky. Occasionally, the tip of her cigarette would light up like little red fireflies as she slowly dragged on it then lifted her chin into the air, he assumed, to expel the smoke he couldn't see from where he was gazing at her. Once in a while, she would reach to the side of the chair and pick up a bottle, take a big gulp, set it down then continue with her puffing marathon. He wondered if she did this everyday or something had triggered these unhealthy activities. He hoped that he had something to do with it since he did not want her to die before the age of thirty from lung cancer. 

He sighed heavily as he eyes still glued to her figure in the distance. What was it about her that drew him to her like this? Yes, he had sex before with other women but he had never sat outside their apartments trying to memorize every detail of their movements and wished… what?… He didn't want to go there…

His thoughts suddenly ran back to the conversation with Dean White this afternoon. The Dean had asked him point blank about his relationship with Sara and Grissom had answered honestly, as honestly as he could under the circumstances. Was it sexual in nature? Yes, by all appearances but to him, it had meant more than that. The encounter had left him wanting more, craving more of her… if only just to see her face or hear her voice.

Dean White had warned Grissom that he was putting his career in jeopardy by opening himself up for sexual harassment lawsuits if words got out about this relationship. He would lose respectability among his peers while malicious students would take this opportunity to wreck havoc with his life and destroy his hard earned career. Jeffery White's parting question still echoed in his mind – _'Are you willing to risk everything for this girl?'_ And it was the question that was presently haunting his thoughts. Was Sara worth it? Was he willing to risk everything for her? His heart had willed him to drive here tonight while his mind had fought to drive away. He gazed up at her balcony once again. To his horror, Sara had stood leaning against the metal rail and was staring down at his car. He wondered how long she had noticed that he was out here. The silent exchange carried on for several more minutes before Sara disappeared into her apartment. Grissom sighed then started his car and drove away.

Sara ran down the many plights of stairs and practically flew out the door of her apartment building before catching the taillights of Grissom's car in the distance. _Damn it Grissom!_ She cursed internally between short breaths. She eyed the red lights until they vanished into the night and wondered why he had drove all the way here to her apartment and then ran like hell the minute she came running to meet him halfway.

She went back inside and climbed the stairs to her apartment. She had planned this night to purge all memories of Gil Grissom and yet, he was making it an impossible task for her. She grabbed another beer and drudged out to her balcony again. Oh well, she could always start on forgetting him tomorrow.

* * *

_**TBC**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Nope, don't own them.

**Pairing:** Grissom/Sara.

**Rating:** M (very Mild).

**Spoilers:** If it's on TV, it's game.

**Summary**: GSR. Pre-canon, pre-Vegas, pre-everything. Can a mere bet prevent two people from falling for each other?

**A/N:** I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of this story and for your kind reviews! If you didn't have time to review, thanks for spending the time reading also. Peace…

**A/N#2**: I know it's been awhile since I last updated but RL sorta took over and I really needed a break from GSR... Ok, you didn't hear me say that but I did catch up on my readings and work on several personal projects that needed my attention. This chapter has been sitting half finished on my computer and after watching the promo for the season premiere, I kinda got my Muse back for a little bit so here it is. Hope y'all enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 08**

"Ms. Sidle." Dean Jeffery White greeted Sara enthusiastically and pulled out a chair for her. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"No problem." Sara smiled cautiously back at him as she sat down. "I received your message at work yesterday and I came as soon as I could."

"Oh that." The Dean shook his head apologetically while situating himself behind his desk across from Sara. "Your student file only listed your work number and I needed to get in touch with you quickly. I hope you didn't mind."

"No, not at all." Sara replied calmly though her mind was racing at a hundred mile per hour, wondering why the Dean of the science department had summoned her here. "How may I help you?"

"Ms. Sidle, I will put this as delicately as possible." His voice clearly indicated that he was uncomfortable with the conversation. "What are your intentions toward Dr. Grissom?"

"I beg your pardon?" Sara started to ponder if the lack of sleep and food in the last twenty-four hours had affected her hearing.

"Please forgive me for getting straight to the point," Dean White gave her a grim look, "but I have received some rather disturbing information concerning you and Dr. Grissom." He paused momentarily to gauge her reaction before continuing, "Even though I respect the privacy of my faculty members, this particular news worries me."

Sara froze at the Dean's words. _Oh happy happy joy joy..._ She couldn't believe the extent of this mess and began to mentally check off a list of ways she could torture and kill Amie and get away with it.

"Ms. Sidle, whatever your intentions are, I do hope you think of the consequences." Jeffery White's tone grew serious. "Gil Grissom is a good man. I would hate to see him and his career destroyed because of a callous fling."

"Fling?" Was that what Grissom thought of their night together?

"You do understand that any relationship beyond the classrooms between teachers and students are frowned upon and strictly forbidden." He studied her, making sure she understood what he was conveying. "Even those of platonic in nature are highly discouraged, let alone one that was physically consummated."

Sara was about to say that what she did outside of class was none of anyone's business and she wasn't some undergrad with a fatal attraction that the Dean needed to worry about. And the irony of it all, shouldn't he be protecting her against Grissom instead of the other way around? Such as the story of her life… She decided it was in her best interest to just stay quiet and let the Dean run his course.

"He assured me that it was a spur of the moment thing and there will not be a repeat of the transgression."

"I see."

"Ms. Sidle, I just need your words that you will not pursue this relationship any further." Then he added, as an afterthought, "And you will refrain from engaging into litigation against the college or Dr. Grissom in the future concerning this affair."

Sara sat stoically, letting the Dean's comments sink in one word at a time. Between the words 'fling' and 'affair', Jeffery White had basically summed up Grissom's feelings for her and what she had to do to prevent herself from further heartache.

"Ms. Sidle?" Dean White sounded concerned when Sara didn't reply to his request.

"You have my words." Sara answered simply and hoped that the meeting would be over soon so she could go lick her wounds in private.

"Also, to mitigate the perception of impropriety," He gave her a weak smile, "I need to ask you to withdraw from your current course of study with Dr. Grissom."

"Consider it done." Sara feigned a return grin. "Anything else I can do for you today?"

"No, that's all, thank you." He stood up and offered Sara his right hand, which she reluctantly took. "Goodbye and good luck."

Sara escaped the Dean's office as fast as she could before anymore sanction would be imposed upon her.

As she stepped down the hallway of the science building, thoughts of Grissom weighed heavily on her mind. She had not anticipated the hurt she felt when faced with the reality of Grissom's indifference toward her. She knew deep down that this fling, as Dean White had casually stated, didn't mean anything to Grissom. But to hear it from a third party was like having the knife driven deeper into her already injured heart and made the pain even more unbearable.

Call her irrational or whatever but at that moment, she felt anger brewing deep inside and it was bubbling to the surface by the seconds. She was angry at Grissom for being such a jerk like the other guys that she had dated, at Amie for being such an ass over some stupid bet, but mostly, she was angry at herself for being such an idiot to fall in love with a one-night stand.

"Hello Sara." Sara jerked her head in the direction of the female voice calling her name and found a sweetly smiling Amie Harris walking toward her with Grissom close on her heels. Before Sara could react to the sight of Amie and Grissom together, Amie continued in a honey coated tone, "By the way, just heard through the grapevines… congratulations on winning the bet." And she had the audacity to wink at Sara.

"You!" Without thinking, Sara walked quickly toward Amie and in one swift move, shoved Amie back against the wall of the hallway.

"Sara!" Grissom's arms shot out and grabbed Sara firmly on the shoulders, pulling her away from Amie, who was not a bit fazed by Sara's actions.

Sara turned her head to glare at Grissom then twisted her body sideways to disarm from his grip. "Let go of me!"

"No Sara!" He held on to her and pulled her down the hall toward his office.

"I am not finished with you!" Sara pointed her finger at Amie in warning as Grissom tried harder to lead her away.

"I'll be waiting when you decide you want to finish it, hun!" Amie grinned happily back at Sara, making Grissom's grip on Sara's arm tighter.

Once Grissom and Sara reached his office, he pushed her slightly inside and closed the door. "What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?"

"Sara, I thought you're smarter than this." He looked at her exasperatedly between taking deep breaths to calm himself.

And Sara was beyond caring if he stayed mad or not. "Sorry to disappoint you professor but you chose to hook up with a dumb one this time."

"Urgh!" The look on his face as he stepped closer to her made her arms automatically came up to brace herself, an instinct she had learned since childhood. But instead of hitting her like she was expecting, his hands came up to pull her close for a desperate kiss.

The kiss began as a forceful act to snuff the mounting aggravation but slowly changed as Sara gave in to the more tender needs to be touched and loved. For that brief moment, she wanted to believe that he loved her and things would be alright for them. But then his right hand slid down her back and pulled her up against him, revealing to her his physical needs.

As if being doused with frigid water, Sara woke up from her self-induced fantasy and sluggishly pushed Grissom away from her. "You know… you should stop making out with your students in this office."

"What are you talking about?" Grissom gave her a perplexed look, unsure of what just transpired.

"Don't play dumb with me Grissom." Sara smirked at him. "I am not stupid."

"You're not stupid and I can assure you that I'm not playing dumb either." His confusion gave way to frustration.

"Fine, have it your way. But I am through sticking around so you can have your way with me." She turned away from him, intending to leave his office but he caught her arms and swung her body back to face him.

"Damn it Sara!" His face was flushed with anger as he gritted his teeth. "You don't walk away after accusing me of something like that!"

"I am not accusing you!" Her temper flared to match his. "I am telling you as I see it!"

Realization at the meaning behind her comments silenced Grissom, leaving the room with only the sounds of their fervent breathings. He released his grip on her and back away, not too far as to let her escape but just enough to hold her attention. His eyes narrowed as in thought then he asked quietly, "What did you see?"

"Enough." Came her simple answer.

He heaved a heavy sigh as he backed away some more to lean against his desk, using his hands to anchor him from both sides. "She came onto me but nothing happened."

Sara wished she had a dime for every time a guy told her that. She just shook her head but didn't say anything.

"You don't believe me?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

She stared down at her feet for a few seconds to compose herself before lifting her eyes to him, "Look Grissom, it doesn't matter what I believe. What we have…" She paused momentarily to rein in her emotions, "What we _had_, it was fun. Time to move on, you know…" She plastered a fake smile on her face then continued, "Almost forgot, I need to let you know that I am dropping your class. Just too much stuff going on at work lately…"

Grissom quirked an eyebrow as his lips pouted in contemplation. He stared at her closely for what seemed like an eternity while scrutinizing her words. When he seemed to be finished, he uttered his resignation, "Alright."

Sara nodded her head slowly then turned to leave. "Goodbye Grissom."

* * *

Joe Maddox, the San Francisco CSI day-shift supervisor, restlessly shifted through several folders lying haphazardly across his desk. With more case files piled on top each passing day, he definitely did not need any more problems, especially those that came from his own CSIs.

He knew that when he hired Sara Sidle, she was a maverick, full of energy and enthusiasm for the work. She was available twenty-four seven and never complained about the workloads. In fact, now that he thought about it, he didn't seem to remember the last time she took a vacation or sick day. She must be overworked. That must be it or how else could he explain the phone call he just received from PD. He made a mental note to rectify it immediately or he would be joining the unemployment line along with CSI Sidle.

"Hey."

Joe looked up to find Sara standing at his doorway, grinning innocently. He gestured for her to come in and sit down.

"You called?" She asked lightly, as if nothing important had happened.

"Yeah, PD called." He let his hand come up to massage his tensed forehead then down the bridge of his nose. "As a courtesy between supervisors, they are notifying me ahead of time that Detective Amie Harris is planning on pressing charges against you for assault and threats of bodily harm. When did this happen?"

"Yesterday." She just shrugged and didn't say anything else.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Detective Harris and I got into a disagreement and well…" She looked down at her lap before finishing her comment, "… I sorta pushed her against the wall."

"You 'sorta pushed her against the wall'?" Joe just shook his head in bewilderment. "Sara, I don't know what to think."

"I know I acted rashly, without thinking…" She seemed so contrite that Joe had to feel bad for her.

"What was the disagreement about?"

"It's personal."

He waited for an extended explanation and received none. "That's it? Nothing more?"

Sara slowly shook her head, indicating that was all she was divulging.

"Sara, I don't think you understand the seriousness of these charges." He looked at her, hoping that his words would somehow sink in and she would change her mind and cooperate. "You could lose your job or worst, be incarcerated. And by your admission, you're already guilty."

"I am sorry Joe but like I said, it's personal and I don't feel comfortable talking about it."

He knew her long enough to realize how stubborn she could get and at the rate they were going, he wasn't getting an answer anytime soon. "You know what? I am putting you on administrative leave until this thing is resolved." He saw the look of surprise on her face but he continued before she had the chance to protest, "Go home Sara. Take some time off and think things over. You may need to get yourself a lawyer while you're at it."

With that, he dismissed her and turned back to his files. He tried to focus on his works but thoughts of Sara's problems kept interrupting his concentration so finally he just gave up. As he pondered the issues, something just clicked like a lost piece of the puzzle and he quickly picked up his phone.

* * *

Gil Grissom got out of his car and stood staring at the townhouse looming in front of him. He had driven here the minute he hung up the phone with Joe Maddox. Joe didn't know the whole story but he did figure out the common denominator to be Grissom since everything seemed to happen around the time Sara Sidle started taking his classes. Grissom had to give Joe kudos for his deduction skills but had stopped short of the details. Joe didn't need to know more than what he had already known and it was for the best.

Grissom took a deep breath and walked toward the front door. After several knocks, the owner of the townhouse appeared and smiled in surprise when seeing Grissom.

"We need to talk." Grissom said without preamble, trying to conclude this conversation as quickly as possible.

"Good to see you too." The female figure replied, ignoring Grissom's bluntness.

Grissom took another deep breath and said, "I want you to drop the charges against Sara."

"It's not going to happen."

"Nothing is absolute. I think there is a middle ground where we can meet."

"If you think there is one then let's hear it."

"Ok. What is it that you want?"

She pretended to be in deep thought but then answered without missing a beat, "Umm…I'll drop all charges if you'd spend one night with me…"

* * *

_**TBC**_


End file.
